The meibomian gland in the eyelid secretes sebum, an oily/waxy substance used to lubricate the eye and produce tears. To date, more than ninety different proteins have been identified in sebum, but what is relevant to the average person is a certain stickiness or crustiness that develops around the eye, especially overnight when the sebum often collects and dries at the edge of the eye. Dysfunctional meibomian glands may cause dry eyes, blepharitis (infected skin resulting from the dry eyeball rubbing off small pieces of skin from the eyelid), meibomitis (inflammation of the meibomian gland), meibomian gland dysfunction, and similar complications resulting from the secretions. Many vague symptoms, such as dryness, contact lens-induced irritation, burning, and the like may persist for months or years. The general hygiene of the individual may play a large role in such problems as well, and when the required prophylactic procedures are onerous, time consuming, or easy to forget (such as tooth-flossing, cleaning behind one's ears, or removing eye sebum) a person may simply neglect the activity more often than advisable.
In the current state of the art, the accepted treatment to remove excess sebum secretions is to use a mild detergent, such as baby shampoo, and wiping the closed eyelid several times. Alternatively, warm water—plain or diluted with such a detergent—may be applied to aid in dissolving the solidified sebum. Other known methods are the use of eye drops, though such products typically have an undesired degree of toxicity. While vials containing eye drops are easily portable, many ophthalmologists hesitate to prescribe such medication due to toxicology concerns, and it is neither easy nor comfortable to warm up eye drops before application. Baby shampoo and cloth or wipes, on the other hand, are not as portable and require greater effort on the part of the user, including preparation, use of towels or tissues, and cleanup.
What is needed is a device or method to allow eye hygiene to be accomplished in a safe, comfortable, effective, and simple manner. Such a device or method would enable a higher degree of hygiene and comfort for the user compared to what is currently known in the art.